NextNav Defends 900 MHz Proposal Amid Wide Opposition

WASHINGTON, September 12, 2024 – The public airwaves are a scarce resource, routinely triggering political struggles in Washington. The latest one involves a proposal from a geolocation company to operate a nationwide GPS supplement in a band currently shared by locations services and unlicensed users.

NextNav’s proposal to reorganize the 900 megahertz band received opposition from spectrum sharing proponents including consumer groups and the cable industry. The company defended its proposal from claims it would cause interference.

“Much of the business community utilizes Part 15 devices to increase economic productivity and efficiency, bolster safety, deliver innovation, and provide other important benefits to consumers, customers, and the public,” the Chamber of Commerce wrote in a letter co-signed by dozens of transportation infrastructure groups, utilities, and others. “The changes proposed by NextNav potentially threaten to disrupt these established business and governmental operations, impede ongoing innovation in this band, and undermine reliable communications systems across several industries.”

Currently, the 902-928 MHz band is occupied primarily by federal radiolocation systems and some medical and scientific devices. Secondary to those are licensees providing “location and monitoring services,” and below LMS are amateur radio users. The part 15 unlicensed devices used by the Commerce letter signatories get last priority.

NextNav, a main LMS license holder, asked the Federal Communications Commission in April to start a rulemaking on reorganizing the band to allow the company to operate a GPS supplement that would serve as a backup and make the system more accurate – something it said was sorely needed. The company’s proposal would swap its current holdings for a nationwide license for 15 MHz of the band to support its geolocation network and 5G broadband, moving other users to the 907-918 MHz block of the band.

NextNav, based in Reston, Va., said in a lengthy filing that it contacted more than three dozen organizations “including incumbent tolling entities, railroads, unlicensed users, and amateurs” to share technical details of its plan and is working on joint testing to assess the potential impact.

“NextNav offers an innovative solution that provides enormous benefits to the public and also unleashes much-needed spectrum for 5G broadband – at no cost to taxpayers,” NextNav CEO Mariam Sorond said in a statement to Broadband Breakfast. “We are eagerly working with stakeholders so the needs of consumers, public safety and our national interests are at the forefront of this important work.”

Consumer groups including Public Knowledge and New America’s Open Technology Institute opposed the plan, arguing the current sharing framework is more conducive to innovation from unlicensed users. The cable industry, which sometimes uses shared spectrum in another band to provide mobile broadband, had similar thoughts.

New Street Research analysts think the FCC will ultimately grant the petition and start a rulemaking, although the results of the election in November might affect exactly how. Blair Levin, a senior analyst at New Street and former FCC chief of staff, wrote a continued Democratic majority would likely be responsive to the concerns faired by unlicensed users, while a Republican FCC might adjust the plan if wireless carriers weigh in down the line.

“This is another example of how partisan tendencies affect spectrum policy but more at the margins than at the core,” Levin wrote on Sept. 6, the day comments were posted. “We think the petition will ultimately be granted – though the comments may cause us to adjust – as providing a backup to GPS seems like something the FCC Commissioners will regard as a good, and bi-partisan idea.” 

Reply comments in the docket are due Sept. 20.